Board accuses Arthur T. Demoulas of 'bad faith'

The bitter three-week standoff that has cost thousands of Market Basket workers their jobs and that has seen a grassroots boycott by customers took another twist late Saturday night as the majority owners broke their silence, saying they have offered to sell the company to ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas.

"We are, and have been, prepared to sell our majority ownership interest in Market Basket to the … shareholders led by Arthur T. Demoulas for the price proposed by Arthur T. Demoulas," a statement from the shareholders led by Arthur S. Demoulas said.

The statement said the shareholders led by Arthur T. Demoulas have "not indicated a willingness to engage in good faith discussions for a sale."

"We have given Arthur T. Demoulas … many opportunities to end the current controversy. We continue to be prepared to sell our interests in Market Basket for the price originally proposed by Arthur T. Demoulas."

Over the past three weeks, hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers have refused to make deliveries to the family-owned chain's 71 stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, leaving stock severely depleted and prompting customers to shop at other grocery stores.

Their statement came a day after Arthur T. Demoulas rejected an offer from the directors to let him and his former management team help restore normal operations, but not take control.

A spokeswoman for Arthur T. Demoulas called the offer an attempt to have him stabilize the company while they consider selling it to another bidder. Demoulas had offered last week to return as CEO while sales talks continue.

His spokeswoman Justine Griffin called the offer disingenuous.. She also said that Arthur T. Demoulas has on three occasions offered to bring back his management team to work to stabilize the company and each time the offer was rejected.

Demoulas was fired in June by the board, which has been controlled by his rival cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas.

Separately, three members of Market Basket's board of directors are pressing the feuding shareholders to resolve their dispute to help the beleaguered supermarket chain resume normal operations.

The directors said Saturday that 25,000 workers and two million customers "shouldn't be held hostage for a business deal between shareholders."

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THE VICTIM SAID SHE WAS RIDING HER BIKE WHEN A MAN GRABBED HER WAIST. SHE WAS ABLE TO RUN AWAY AND GET HELP. THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL AND MARKET BASKET. WORKERS REPORTED FOR THEIR FINAL SHIFTS. THEY STOP SCHEDULING PART-TIMERS . THERE WERE HARSH WORDS AIMED AT THE CEO. WE HAD THE LATEST ON THE MARKET BASKET FIGHT. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SAY THAT THEY ARE HOLDING THE COMPANY HOSTAGE HERE AT ALL OF THESE FOLKS SAY THEY HAVE BEEN OUT HERE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS. MANY ARE THE VERY PEOPLE WHO WILL LOSE THEIR JOBS -- AT LEAST TEMPORARILY -- STARTING TONIGHT. I LOVE COMING TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. I LOVE THE PEOPLE THAT I WORK WITH AND THAT IT WORKED FOR. IT WAS HER LAST DAY AT MARKET BASKET. THE 23-YEAR-OLD IS ONE OF 500 AND 60 PART-TIME AND PLEASE ADD THIS STORE ALONE THAT WILL BE OUT OF WORK THIS COMING WEEK. -- AT THIS STORE ALONE THAT WILL BE OUT OF WORK THIS WEEK. IT IS THE ONLY JOB I HAVE HERE. IT WAS OUT OF NOWHERE. VICTORIA IS AMONG THEM AS WELL. THE COMPANY'S NEW CEO IS INSTRUCTING THEM TO CUT ALL PART-TIMERS. IT HURTS ME. IT IS SICK -- MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH TO SEE THEM BE OUT OF A JOB. ROB IS A MANAGER HERE IN BURLINGTON. HE IS FULL-TIME AND WILL KEEP HIS JOB FOR NOW, BUT SAYS HE IS DEVASTATED TO CUT HIS PART-TIME EMPLOYEES. MANY ARE HIS FRIENDS. WE ARE TAKING A STAND. WE WILL KEEP FIGHTING. THEY ARE LAYING THE BLAME -- IT IS WRONG TO HOLD EVERYONE HOSTAGE TO GAIN AND NEGOTIATION ADVANTAGE. LET'S GET TOGETHER TO WORK AT FINDING COMMON GROUND. A REPRESENTATIVE SAYS THEY WILL NOT RESPOND, BUT THEY HAVE SAID IN THE PAST THAT THEY HAVE MADE SEVERAL COMPROMISED OFFERS THAT THE BOARD SIMPLY REJECTED. THE TWO SIDES CONTINUE

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